What to pack for San Francisco in July
July in San Francisco surprises almost everyone. While the rest of California is hot, the city sits in the 60s, the fog rolls in off the ocean most afternoons, and the wind on the Golden Gate Bridge or the waterfront can make it feel like autumn. An hour inland, wine country is in the 80s or 90s.
So the list is built for a city of microclimates. Wear layers you can add and remove as you move between sunny neighborhoods and foggy ones, always carry a jacket, and bring shoes for steep hills. It almost never rains, so you do not need anything waterproof.
Checked
The weather
- Daytime high
- 68°F
- 20°C downtown. The western neighborhoods are cooler.
- Overnight low
- 55°F
- 13°C. Foggy evenings feel much colder.
- Wet days
- ~0
- Dry season. Fog is the only thing that falls.
- Daylight
- 14.5 h
- Sunset around 8:30pm, often behind the fog.
The capsule
A week, one traveler, Harbor palette. Navy and ivory layers that go from foggy mornings to sunny afternoons. A capsule is a few clothes in one palette (a base color, a neutral and an accent) that all go together. The full list below adds what sits outside it.
Layers
Quilted jacket
Windproof shell
Chunky cardigan
Tops
Striped cotton top
Crewneck tee
Merino sweater
Bottoms
Dark jeans
Chinos
Shoes
Leather sneakers
Ankle boots
Three days from this capsule
Shown for one traveler. Packlier packs a capsule like this for each person on the trip.
The full list
Clothes
- Warm jacket with a windproof outer
- Cardigan or fleece
- Sweater
- Four or five tops, including a couple of long-sleeve
- Jeans or pants
- Something light for a day in wine country
- Sleepwear
Shoes
- Comfortable sneakers with grip for the hills
- Boots or smarter shoes for evenings
Day bag
- Scarf
- Sunglasses and sunscreen
- Refillable water bottle
- Crossbody bag that zips shut
Documents and tech
- ID or passport
- Alcatraz and restaurant reservations, booked ahead
- Contactless card or phone for transit and cable cars
- Type A/B plug adapter if visiting from abroad (120V)
- Power bank
Toiletries
- Lip balm; the wind is drying
- Blister bandages for the hills
- Any prescriptions, in your carry-on
Gear worth the space
A windproof jacket
The wind, not the temperature, is what makes the city feel cold. A shell over a sweater beats a thick coat.
A cardigan or light fleece
The layer you add and remove all day, as you walk from a sunny street into a foggy one.
Grippy sneakers
Comfortable over miles and sure-footed on steep, uneven sidewalks. They are also fine in most restaurants.
A light scarf
It seals the gap at your collar when the fog comes in, and folds into a pocket when the sun comes out.
Sun in one neighborhood, fog in the next, and the 80s an hour inland. Packlier packs layers for your July.
Tell it where, when, why, which bag and which palette, and it packs the capsule, checks it against the bag and adds everything that is not clothing. Launching this year on Android, with iOS to follow.
One email at launch, nothing else.